MY WORK AND MY WORKSHOP 



hiding-place under a big stone. In a moment I had 

 found the nest, which was made of hair and fine straw, 

 and had six eggs laid side by side in it. The eggs were 

 a magnificent azure blue, very bright. This was the first 

 nest I ever found, the first of the many joys which the 

 birds were to bring me. Overpowered with pleasure, I 

 lay down on the grass and stared at it. 



Meanwhile the mother-bird was flying about uneasily 

 from stone to stone, crying "Tack! Tack!" in a voice of 

 the greatest anxiety. I was too small to understand what 

 she was suffering. I made a plan worthy of a little beast 

 of prey. I would carry away just one of the pretty blue 

 eggs as a trophy, and then, in a fortnight, I would come 

 back and take the tiny birds before they could fly away. 

 Fortunately, as I walked carefully home, carrying my blue 

 egg on a bed of moss, I met the priest. 



"Ah!" said he. "A Saxicola's egg! Where did you 

 get it?' 



I told him the whole story. "I shall go back for the 

 others," I said, "when the young birds have got their 

 quill-feathers." 



"Oh, but you mustn't do that!" cried the priest. 



"You mustn't be so cruel as to rob the poor mother of 

 all her little birds. Be a good boy, now, and promise not 

 to touch the nest." 



[3] 



